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Despite his Nottingham University supervisors insisting the materials were directly relevant to his research, Rizwaan Sabir, 22, was held for nearly a week under the Terrorism Act, accused of downloading the materials for illegal use. The student had obtained a copy of the al-Qaida training manual from a US government website for his research into terrorist tactics.
The case highlights what lecturers are claiming is a direct assault on academic freedom led by the government which, in its attempt to establish a “prevent agenda” against terrorist activity, is putting pressure on academics to become police informers.
Sabir was arrested on May 14 after the document was found by a university staff member on an administrator’s computer. The administrator, Hisham Yezza, an acquaintance of Sabir, had been asked by the student to print the 1,500-page document because Sabir could not afford the printing fees.
The pair were arrested under the Terrorism Act, Sabir’s family home was searched and their computer and mobile phones seized. They were released uncharged six days later but Yezza, who is Algerian, was immediately rearrested on unrelated immigration charges and now faces deportation.
What if he was a student in the United States downloading from a British government website? Think he’d be out of custody by now?
What if he was a student in the United States downloading from a British government website? Think he’d be out of custody by now?
22 years old + Algerian + male …
I don’t think he would be eligible for a student visa in the USA.
Aren’t males under the age of 25 from most Arab countries disallowed visas under one the post 9/11 homeland security policies?
surely this is worth at least a “police state” banner
The more things change, the more they don’t. The marketing keeps getting better though.
Where is the link to the document? We should all download it. Can they arrest us for being curious? Last year I downloaded and read a copy of the Unibomber’s Manifesto. Good reading in these times. Last week, I checked out “Fahrenheit 451” from the library, should I pack for Gitmo?
He should now try downloading the anarchist cookbook and see what happens.
Hmeyers said
22 years old + Algerian + male …
I don’t think he would be eligible for a student visa in the USA.
No, but he might qualify for admittance into a CIA flight school.
“What if he was a student in the United States downloading from a British government website? Think he’d be out of custody by now?”
The source of the training manual is irrelevant and is just a classic leftist spin. This has nothing to do with academic freedom.
Facts:
* 22 years old
* Algerian
* Male – Rizwaan Sabir
* His own University turned him in
* He possessed a 1,500 page al-Qaida training manual
* Studying Terrorism Tactics
* He put a dupicate copy of the terrorism manual on an administrator’s computer
* His acquaintance, Hisham Yezza, who printed the al-Qaida manual was also arrested and now faces deportation on immigration charges.
#7 – you really have no perception of academic freedom. But, then, you have no confidence in intellectual freedom or critical inquiry, either.
You list the items you feel justify arrest. They include age, birthplace, gender, reading a publicly-available publication (sorry about Bushies not censoring enough). Sorry, he’s not Black.
Should we settle for you being a bigot, a fool – or just an example of good old reactionary politics? Or all of the above?
@8
Algerian + male + 22 years old = you don’t study terrorism tactics in a Western country on a student visa and expect not to be deported.
It’s common sense.
#9, Meyers,
What the hell is this “common sense” shit? I understand the right wing nut conservative evangelical republican radio-head shuts thinking that anyone not agreeing with them is a commie, but come on, “common sense” Please give us your justification of how right wing prejudice is perfectly acceptable.
I would put it a bit different from #8. We’re just
cataloging some of the things governments and right-wingers (like all cowards) are afraid of:
People from other countries, with different skin colors (does it rub off?), young males (if you’re an old male), educated, studious. All threats to individuals and governments who cower in the dark corners of existence – fearing the light.
Cockroaches.
#11 – Dad, was mom really a virgin?
Actually I’m with the authorities on this one.
“Couldn’t afford the printing fees” is ridiculous, for 2 reasons:
1) The printing fees are probably about a dime a page. They are at my university.
2) Why print it if you can’t afford it; just save it and read it!
He’s lying about that and therefore he’s lying about more,
@ Mr. Fusion:
Feel free to argue the politics or the ideals of the situation.
It’s still common sense if you are a foreign-born Muslim male on a student visa that studying terrorism tactics isn’t exactly a good way to stay in the country.
Fair? Unfair? I’m sure many a Muslim ponders those thoughts while they are on the plane back to their respective craphole country of origin.
The behavior of the authorities in this case only makes sense in the context of a police state.
You can deny only for so long.
I agree with Hmeyers. Muslims are proving to be terrible guests. Sure they can win the fairness argument. They can win every single fairness argument and still be on a slow boat back to Crapholestan! I don’t know why so many seem to know nothing about common sense.
Sounds like the xenophobic right wing nutjobs want to isolate all the ‘outsiders’. Of course these clowns don’t know about academic freedom, or intellectual thought – they possess neither!
17 – Classic loon response.
It is just toooo unfair to use any sort of profile-based screening on suspected terrorists. Evidence does not mean anything. The perp has to admit his freely admit his guilt. Wahhh!
Even though profile-based screening has worked almost flawlessly on all El-Al flights, it is forbidden in the USA.
Academic freedom – that is the same red herring that libtalker Bernie Ward, the former KGO personality, and Pete Townshends used . They relied on the “I was just writing a book on Child Pornography” defense. What could be wrong with that? After all, they expected academic freedom to protect them in their pursuit of knowledge. Wrong!
But from a lefty’s viewpoint, it is perfectly OK to make the leap of faith that anyone agreeing with current security methods must be branded a xenophobe.
Hypocritical? – you betcha.
Mister Mustard came up with a new use for sheep – wool.
Holy ****! Who gave the KKK and Aryan Nation the address to dvorak.org/blog?
With shit like this.Who said, Bin Laudin not winning. He wants to take away freedom. Now the Brits are doing it for him.
WTF is wrong with the Brits ?
>>Mister Mustard came up with a new use
>>for sheep – wool.
That’s what I’ve always used them for. You?
No matter what your sexual preferences, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that the student’s arrest breaks new ground in implementing the Police State.
Mustard, for once I have to agree with you. I think I need to go lie down now.
As far as sexual preferences, I’m vagina friendly.
>>WTF is wrong with the Brits ?
They’re just following in our footsteps. Once Dumbya snookered the country into accepting the “Patriot” Act, it was all downhill from there.
“What if he was a student in the United States downloading from a British government website? Think he’d be out of custody by now?”
“22 years old + Algerian + male …”
(Spokesperson at Gitmo)
Custody? What custody? There is no such person…
“Where is the link to the document? We should all download it. Can they arrest us for being curious? ”
Do you want to bet your life they can’t/won’t? At this point it wouldn’t surprise me too much…